I received this e-mail from Moncton photographer Maurice Henri today and thought I'd pass it along to my blog readers:

"Many of you asked how they could help support the “Cameras for Healing” project in Africa.

Nine images have been prepared for sale to support this initiative. The prices include taxes and shipping (regular mail).

If you are interested in purchasing a print, simply send a cheque payable to Cameras for Healing, include the print code and your mailing address and mail to: PO Box 1636, Moncton, NB E1C 9X4. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. The images are archival and unframed."

To view the prints that are for sale, click on the photo.

This is a very worthwhile project and these would make a wonderful and unique Christmas gift. Even if they arrive after Christmas... they're still a great gift!

"There will be stories/interview all week starting today on CBC's Maritime Noon," Maurice says. "There will be an update on the Cameras for Healing and the exhibit in New York, then the 5 minute clips with actual people from Sierra Leone that I interviewed personally. Including a Paramount chief, Howa, a 64 year old women who adopted 10 children etc."

Friday, December 14, 2007

Peace on Earth - According to Wikipedia: "The plot revolves around two young animals, in this case squirrels, asking their grandfather on Christmas Eve what the "men" are in the lyric "Peace on Earth, good will to men." The grandfather squirrel then tells them a telescoped history of the human race, focusing on the neverending wars men waged. But ultimately the wars do end, with the death of the last man on Earth, a soldier." In 1994, animators named this the #40 Greatest Cartoon of all time. It was also nominated for an Oscar.

In case anyone's counting, it's been two years (this week) that I've been filling this space on the editorial page of this fine newspaper every Wednesday. That's well over 100 columns in a row about everything from my cats, people who've come in and out of my life, my family, things that get on my nerves and just general goings-on.

To start "year three" of the column off on a good footing, you'll see a new photo accompanying this week's column. Since I get more "gorgeouser" and "gorgeouser" as I age, I thought it only fitting that I update the look, huh?

A few months after the column began, I changed its name from "At Large" to "Hump Day" to reflect the fact that it runs on Wednesday, traditionally called "Hump Day" by many. And today -- a new photo! I'm not sure if I'd qualify to appear on TV's "Extreme Home Makeover," but hopefully you like the small renovations.

I'm not sure what the third year of the column will bring, but I do know that I'm extremely grateful for the past two years and the wonderful feedback that I've received from readers. Most of it has been really nice and generous. Of course, I make fun of myself quite a bit, so it's hard to be too critical, eh? The only times that I've been blasted are the few times in the first months when I wrote columns regarding organized religion. That ruffled a few feathers.

Things have evolved since then, though, and I tend to stay away from the controversial issues. You can get that anywhere. I'm not about getting people riled up, really. This column is about having fun . . . sometimes shedding a tear . . . not getting mad.

I'm glad that I was able to touch so many with the column I wrote about Corey Doucet, Jared Storey, Brandon Hupman and Jimmy Dunphy after they passed away just over three months ago in a terrible car accident. I've been inundated with e-mails and my blog has received many nice comments about how my words have helped people as they work through their shock and grief. I'd much rather get e-mails like that than having people get mad at me for something or other.

When I was in journalism school, I never dreamed that something I wrote could affect so many people. I was getting heartfelt e-mails from teenagers thanking me for writing about their friends and for writing some things that made them feel better.

Well, if this 43-year-old codger-in-waiting wrote something that you related to, kids, I'm pleased to have done so. And thank you for letting me know. It means a lot.

After I posted the column to my blog, more than 1,000 people read it in 24 hours. To this day, it's by far the most popular column I've posted to the blog. Nothing has even come close.

I know that this Christmas will not be an easy one for the family and friends of these four boys -- or those of Satara Steeves, another Harrison Trimble High School student who died over the summer in a hit-and-run accident. If it helps even a speck, please know that a lot of people will be thinking of you, too.

I hear from a lot of people that I've made them laugh out loud with some of the things I've written. That's great. I always enjoy bringing a smile to people's faces, but I think the columns that have meant the most to me are the ones that have touched people's hearts. I'm not saying that to brag -- I'm just repeating what people have told me.

The column I wrote on my uncle Romeo's passing seems to have caused a few to shed a tear. People e-mailed me telling me that they were bawling while reading it in a downtown café. Somehow, I have to admit that I got some sort of sick satisfaction out of that because a writer always wants to get a reaction out of the reader. You may laugh, you may get angry, you may cry . . . just don't be indifferent.

I was privileged over the past few months to work on the amazing Dix aiguilles/Ten Needles project, too. This book by Martin Latulippe on Sean Collins' life has sold 13,000 copies to date and has become a bestseller. Wow! And the best part? It's raised $120,000 to help sick kids . . . in a month.

Can you imagine?

Sean is certainly on his way to becoming the Terry Fox of this generation, I believe. His book will go on to raise millions. What a wonderful legacy.

Writing and blogging about Ten Needles has, I hope, helped to kickstart Sean's mission. Had someone told me that two years ago, I would have said they were nuts.

I guess a lot can happen in two years. I wonder what will happen in the next two that will inspire more columns?

Will aliens invade Earth? Should we all line up now to be probed?

I wonder what silly things will befall me.

Hopefully, I won't call 911 again like I did when I mistook someone on Main Street using a staple gun for a real gun.

People thought I was kidding when I wrote that column. No!

You can't make that stuff up, folks.

I did call 911 when I thought someone on Main Street was shooting people when, in fact, all they were doing was using a staple gun to put up posters.

Hey, it was dark!

Luckily, the heavily armed officers who showed up in five police cars had a sense of humour.

Maybe I should have told them that I was just testing my "Emergency Jumping to Conclusions Warning System."

So happy birthday, Hump Day! I don't know how long you'll live, but hopefully your heart -- the readers -- will continue to beat strongly for a long time yet.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

UPDATE: Listen to CBC Radio's Shift show today (Thursday) at 5:45 p.m. for an interview with the Gander SPCA re: this story!

FOUND in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador... an approximately one-year-old black un-neutered male cat from the Price Street area in Moncton. The cat was brought over to Gander inadvertently stowed away on a Co-Op Atlantic truck and was found after three days. If you're missing a friendly, intact, male black cat from the Price Street area, he may have ended up in Gander, of all places! He is currently at the Gander SPCA. Please call them at (709) 651-3002 if you think he may be yours. Click here for the Gander SPCA's website. Click on the photo for a larger version. (The driver of the truck suspects that the cat got on the truck in Moncton and stayed on all the way to Gander.)

Ike Turner, the abusive former husband of renowned rock goddess Tina Turner (not that I'm biased, eh?) died today at his home in San Diego. He was 76. Here he is with Tina on Soul Train in 1970 singing Proud Mary.

Good morning! Today's Hump Day column appears, as usual, on the editorial page (pg. D8) of the Moncton Times & Transcript. And guess what? It's the column's second birthday this week! To celebrate, a new photo accompanies the column and I take a look back at a few of the columns that meant a lot to me... and the readers.

Pick up your copy of the Moncton Times & Transcript today or check this blog tomorrow when it will be posted online.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

... is all about my thoughts on the two-year anniversary of the column. It first appeared on the editorial page of the Moncton Times & Transcript back on December 14, 2005. More than 100 columns later, I'm celebrating its birthday with a new photo, replacing the one that's been there since the beginning.

Thank you, readers, for the kind comments I've received over these past two years. I've read every one of the e-mails and responded to them all, too (at least I think I did!). So cheers to you!Don't miss Hump Day on the editorial page of tomorrow's Moncton Times & Transcript.

This is a follow-up to yesterday's Christmas posting about those Oscar Wilde cartoons that used to air on Christmas morning here in Canada. Yesterday, I posted The Happy Prince. Today, it's The Selfish Giant. I'm still trying to locate The Little Mermaid, but with no luck.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Many people have been asking where to order Dix aiguilles / Ten Needles, the life story and legacy of Sean Collins written by Martin Latulippe. After some initial confusion, I'm please to provide this correct information. To order, please contact:

Years ago, a Canadian TV network (can't remember if it was CBC or CTV) used to run animated versions of Oscar Wilde's stories on Christmas morning: The Happy Prince, The Little Mermaid and The Selfish Giant. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, I've managed to track down the "Prince" and "Giant" videos. I'll keep digging for the "Mermaid" one.

In the meantime, for all you nostalgic Canadians, here's the complete version of "The Happy Prince" in three parts. "The Selfish Giant" will follow tomorrow. Even if you're not Canadian, these are really nice discoveries... and I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

The book Dix aiguilles / Ten Needles by Martin Latulippe about the life of Sean Collins has sold 13,000 copies since November 8! In total, it has raised $120,000 for sick children... an incredible amount! The book was Sean's dream... that he would leave a legacy behind after he passed. I think we can all agree that Sean's legacy is alive and well and is helping more and more people every day.

Please click here to nominate this amazing young man as CBC New Brunswick's Newsmaker of the Year. Your support would mean a lot to his cause... and would certainly make his family very proud. And I'm sure there'd be a big smile up there in Heaven, too! :)

Join My Facebook Page by clicking on the icon below and selecting "like":

About Me

Writer, columnist and communications consultant. Author of "Hump Day" - a weekly humour/general interest column, and Social Media Matters, a column dealing with social media. Member of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC), National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Canadian Association of Journalists.